Quelorie Magic Christmas Special!
by RionAgrias
Summary: A small 2 chapter continuation of Souji's time in Inaba, finishing up an unexpected love story... sort of. I would prefer you read the original first, or it'll be a little confusing. Flashbacks abound, though.


_**Quelorie Magic- Christmas Special!- Part 1**_

**I do not own Christmas… or Persona.**

There were a few people who said… Mr. RionAgrias… your story had no concrete ending, so it was awful. Actually, they liked it even though it had no ending. Well, they said they liked it. Well, there was also a guy who cursed my story into oblivion, so I blocked him. Okay, I'll stop rambling. Anyways, I decided since it is nearing December 25th that the obvious storyline for a good ending chapter is… a Christmas Special for Quelorie Magic! There are a lot of flashbacks, however.

I hope you enjoy and please… don't curse me into oblivion.

P.S. I am not giving you directions on making a cake. Do not use this story as a guide on how to make a cake.

_Souji's thoughts_

* * *

><p><strong>Evening… Junes, December 23rd<strong>

_Why the hell am I at Junes again? Oh yeah… Yosuke asked me to…_

Junes… it is the mega-mart of mega-marts in the small town of Inaba. Souji had found himself standing right outside of the lobby, only meters away from the outside grill and wire-mesh tables. He was wearing something that could only be considered ridiculous. On top of his head was a velvet red Santa hat with the fuzzy white ball on top, not to mention the Santa gloves that were covering his hands. He had a Junes apron, the dullish, not quite orange yet not quite beige-colored apron, covering his black pants and dress shirt. His black coat, the thing that should be keeping him warm, was discarded at a station where he had picked up the Santa clothes.

Souji shivered slightly in the cold as he attempted to hand out a flyer or a hundred to the passing teenagers, adults, and anything else that moved. The flyers were advertising various holiday specials to fulfill every need from Dec. 24th to Dec. 25th. It was a futile effort because the adults were entering the store for their own purposes anyways and the teenagers were usually off in their own little world. Unfortunately, the dogs did not even believe the flyers were edible. Souji prayed for seven-thirty p.m. to hurry up and arrive.

During a break between the rush of teenagers and adults passing through Junes, the second-year with his silver hair cut into a bowl cut turned to an acquaintance, then enemy, and now good friend named Yosuke and asked, "Why am I doing this for you again?"

Yosuke, a young man in the same class as Souji, had fluffy brown hair that was sticking out of the Santa hat. He had khakis on instead of the formal dress pants that Souji was wearing. He looked just as cold and uncomfortable as Souji did. At Souji's question, he responded, "You know no one else wanted to do this in this weather. Not to mention, it's so close to the holidays." He added with a smirk, "Come on… the pay is good, right?"

Souji responded, "Isn't this job usually done by girls though… you know… the ones in those skimpy outfits?"

"They begged for it off…," Yosuke muttered, "They threatened to go to my dad with all sorts of bullshit when I told them that getting the other sixteen holidays off means you have to work at least one day like this…"

Souji shook his head. Yosuke was still getting pushed around by the older female workers at Junes. He found that out once they became good friends in the fall. He asked one more question, "Well… why didn't you ask Chie?"

"Chie…?" Yosuke looked a little taken aback at that suggestion, "And threaten tomorrow night. Hell no!"

_Oh yeah… Tomorrow night is his chance to spend some quality alone time with her._

Chie Satonaka was Yosuke Hanamura's girlfriend, but it was not always like that. They had only dating for about two months. The main reason was… Souji and what happened over the summer. The two were still constantly fighting, even after they started going out. Yosuke had spent his summer turning the whole school, no the whole town, against him because of what happened on one faithful day towards the end of the first semester of his second year. He had a 'fake relationship' with an ex-idol named Rise Kujikawa, or as the world knew her… Risette.

"Oh yeah… I get it," Souji muttered, "You're gonna try and get lucky."

Yosuke's face turned pink at Souji's response. He shook his head, "I didn't say that. We're just spending some time together."

"And you'll see where it goes from there…," Souji smirked as he adjusted his hat; it was slipping off.

Yosuke's face remained pink, but his composure remained. He said, "You know… if you asked Yukiko-san, she would spend time with you."

_Yukiko Amagi…_

The future manager of the Amagi Inn was best friends with Chie Satonaka and her small crush on Souji only intensified after summer break. He knew the girl with long black hair and the red headband would not give up on him, especially since the one spectacle that had plagued Souji and the rest of Inaba was over.

"You know I don't see Yukiko-san that way…," Souji told Yosuke.

Yosuke sighed, "What… do you want to spend tomorrow evening alone? Do you expect Risette to show up? You know… she's not your real girlfriend, Souji. I mean… you spent a lot of time with her, but it was probably her best acting performance yet."

* * *

><p><strong>Right before summer break<strong>

They were nearing the Yasogami High, the school that bored Souji and was a place where Rise was overwhelmed. As the two neared one-hundred meters from the metal fences and they were approaching more students as well, Rise interlocked the fingers from her left hand with Souji's right hand.

_Umm… _

Rise whispered to Souji as they were walking, "It has to be believable. We can worry about everything else after school."

They had no problem making it believable, at least the others' opinion of whether if it was real or not. Passing people and making jaws drop was the norm as Souji and Rise neared the school. No one seemed to believe they were real.

As the two passed the metal gate, a girl with short black hair whispered to another, "Is that Souji Seta that Rise Kujikawa is holding hands with? Are they going out or something?"

"What! Risette has a boyfriend! She just came here," a boy with dyed shoulder-long blond hair lamented.

They continued on through to the school. Souji was hoping that the charade would continue without a hitch, but he still felt… he felt ill at ease with the whole situation.

"Souji Seta has a boyfriend," a girl walking up the stairs that had a crush on Souji and was not happy, "It's with Rise Kujikawa!"

At the edge of the stairs, Rise stopped and let go of Souji's hand. She gave one of those small smiles and said to him, "I have to go to class before I am late. You should too…"

Souji nodded, "See you after school, Rise-chan. I don't have any sort of clubs, so…"

Rise just nodded in return.

As Rise headed towards her first-year class, Souji headed up to classroom 2-2. He knew that it be foolish of him to hope that the word about his "relationship" had not spread to his own classroom. It was as if every eye was staring straight at Souji as he entered the room.

The girl closest to the room, another girl with shoulder length black hair and a yellow headband, "Are you really dating Rise Kujikawa?"

_Oh… Shit… Umm…_

"Yes, I guess I am," Souji responded.

"Wow… I don't believe it," the girl replied.

The girl's boyfriend, a boy with short black hair said, "How could you be dating Risette?"

"Aww… man," another boy muttered, "Now I can't ask her out…"

If a few stares and a couple of muttering fools were the only problems Souji had to face, he would have no problems putting up with this. It was when Yosuke came into the room that he had a bit of an issue.

As Yosuke came up to Souji's desk, he looked almost in shock and nearly tripped over Souji's bag. He asked Souji, "What's this about you going out with Risette?"

Souji explained, "Well… I am going out with Rise."

"But how?" Yosuke continued, "I asked her yesterday and she shot me down like it was nothing. When did you ask her?"

Souji had to keep up this game, so he said, "I did not ask her… she asked me after school, yesterday."

Yosuke had turned from being in shock to indignant, "She asked you! Why would she ask you?"

"She wanted to, I guess," Souji replied, "I don't know why."

_I am not telling you the truth, Yosuke._

Souji wondered if King Moron had found out about their relationship because Morooka was being a complete bastard today, especially to him. Maybe, the teacher thought it fun to make Souji suffer because he was trying to help someone else.

Souji knew he probably should go to Rise as soon as class got out. No clubs that he was involved in met today, so there was no problem with going straight there. That's why as he went straight towards the stairs after the end of class all he had were his thoughts.

_Ignore their stares… But man… Yukiko looking at me like that is weird. Does she know?_

As his thoughts said, Yukiko stared at him in-between each class. He had an inkling that Yukiko had a slight crush on him; Chie only fueled that idea.

The girl waiting for Souji almost had an aura around her that made others wait for her commands. That was his "girlfriend"… and he walked straight to her.

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

_Rise Kujikawa… a fake girlfriend… huh?_

"That was a while ago, Yosuke. I thought that's over with…," Souji said.

"I know, I know…," Yosuke nodded, agreeing with Souji's statement, "But hey… you did shoot a commercial with her after your fake relationship ended…"

Souji shook his head, somewhat lying, "You should know by now that I'm just that good of an actor. I was a natural fit."

Yosuke laughed, "Yeah! You two made one hell of a show with what you did."

Yosuke was one of Risette's, Rise Kujikawa's stage name, biggest fans. He was so pissed that Souji was with Rise, albeit in a fake relationship, he set the whole town against him through rumors and newscasts. He was about ready to kill his friend for what Yosuke did to him until he broke off this 'fake relationship' with Rise. Though, things never ended up that simple.

The whole reason Rise decided to fake a relationship with Souji was to be able to talk to someone about her issues with someone who would not chase after her. She wanted someone who would just treat her as Rise, not Risette. The purpose of all of this was to find 'Rise'. The real girl that had been lost in this quagmire of lies and personalities that had been forced upon her by managers and directors; it was her goal to find that girl. Souji was just an accessory to it all.

It seemed that way to everyone, especially after their big 'break up'. It soothed the town's nerves, not to mention Yosuke's and the people he considered friends before Rise arrived in Inaba. It was almost a relief, to have it over with… and have Rise go back into showbiz. She returned as a different shade of Risette, a better Risette in Souji's eyes. Souji felt unfulfilled by the whole thing, though… this whole faux-relationship, and so did Rise.

* * *

><p><strong>Rise's final day in Inaba… Her birthday<strong>

They had stepped off the bus; Rise had fallen asleep on Souji's shoulder… again. Only when Souji shook Rise awake and they walked off the bus did she notice where they were.

Souji felt Rise grasp his hand as he headed towards an oak tree. He sat down and put his back against the tree. Souji sighed as he relaxed against the tree; he was exhausted. Like before, he felt Rise sit in-between him and put his arms around her waist.

_I don't know why… it feels nice, but it just does._

Souji wanted to close his eyes… and he could not keep them from shutting. At least he stopped himself from falling asleep for the moment. Rise asked, "Do you know what my biggest mistake was when I left to be an idol again?"

"What is it, Rise-chan?" Souji responded. Souji could tell her eyes were closed.

Rise answered, "It was… not telling those paparazzi how I really felt."

Souji had to ask, "Can you… Can you now?"

Rise sighed, "Souji-kun… I don't know. I… I really…. Damn it! How come I can't say it when it really matters!"

_Rise is cursing?_

"Souji-kun…," Rise continued, "I love you."

_That was not so bad… now was it?_

Souji could not fight the urge to sleep anymore. He felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

An hour later, Souji woke up with his hands still around Rise's waist.

_So soft…_

He shook Rise awake before they walked back towards the bus station. The ride back… was the slowest possible, at least to the pair sitting in the back of the bus. To the girl with her head on the young man's shoulder, the ride should never end. When they finally reached the stop, it was where the two were full of lament as they walked back towards Marukyu.

The two reached Marukyu and for the first time all day, Rise frowned. She looked sincerely sad. Souji knew why…

_After this… who knows when she can come back?_

Souji was wrong, but Nanako was right. He was annoyed that he could not afford the money to buy that locket for Rise, but he enjoyed the time with her… even if it was in Okina. There was nothing he could do, but… suffer by denying the truth.

Souji stood face-to-face with Rise, her long red hair flowing down her body. Souji wrapped her arms around Rise's waist, while Rise's went around his shoulders. They edged closer and closer until their lips touched… softly, ever so softly. What was for a minute felt like an eternity.

When their lips broke, Rise backed her face away for a moment to say to him, "I don't care what anyone will say about me this time."

Their lips touched again, a little harder, but still… a soft kiss.

This time, after they broke… they detached from each other completely. It was the end… the last time they would see each other. Souji closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe… it would calm himself down.

Rise said softly, "I don't know when I'll be back, but… I will see you on Christmas Eve."

Souji kept his eyes shut as she walked away and entered Marukyu Tofu.

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

'_I will see you on Christmas Eve' Jeez… I highly doubt it, even if she did kiss me. It was a hell of a way to say goodbye forever though._

Yosuke broke his train of thought when he asked, "So… what are you doing on Dec. 24th if you aren't hanging out with Yukiko?"

Souji shrugged before he answered, "I'm baking a big chocolate cake with Nanako for Christmas. You know… for her dad… when he comes home. She's leaving to spend the night with her friend later, but it's something I promised to do with her back in October."

Yosuke chuckled, "That's sweet of you, but hey… if you're baking a whole cake, there's no way the three of you can eat it all."

_Yosuke means my uncle, Dojima…_

Souji was spending the year with his uncle, Ryotarou and his adorable younger cousin of about eight, Nanako, while his parents were off in America on work. His parents had dumped him off like trash, and it was an awkward arrangement at first. It was especially a mess between Nanako and Souji, but one person fixed that awkwardness. It was a girl named Rise Kujikawa.

* * *

><p><strong>Earlier in the summer<strong>

As the white home of the Dojima household came into view, Souji said to her, "Well… here it is."

Souji walked ahead of Rise to open the door, and the one waiting in the living room was his cousin, Nanako. "Nanako, we're home!" Souji proclaimed.

"We're home?" Nanako looked confused as Souji took his first step into the home.

Rise took a step from behind to the side of Souji. Her voice was actually somewhat cheerful as she greeted, "Hi, Nanako-chan!"

Nanako seemed to recognize the voice, even if it was not completely natural, "Rise-chan!"

Souji walked to the kitchen to grab drinks, Rise made her way into the living room. Nanako had walked up right to her and seemed really excited. If they shared one thing, it was ponytails. The two had no problem chatting to each other about various things; Souji had never seen her this lively since she had come to Inaba about recovering and resting from being an idol.

As Souji went over to hand a drink to both Rise and Nanako, Nanako asked the ex-idol, "Rise-chan, why are you here?"

"I wanted to meet you," Rise responded, "Souji's cousin."

"How do you know him?" Nanako asked.

Rise looked at Souji, and then back at Souji. Rise answered Nanako with one of those smiles, "Well… I'm Souji's girlfriend."

Nanako looked in shock upon hearing that her cousin was going out with Rise Kujikawa. It did not seem real to her.

"You're going out with Rise-chan?" Nanako asked Souji.

_You know… I didn't think about this earlier, but… We've been 'going out' for a day and now she's at my house. Great…_

Souji nodded, "It's true…"

"That's amazing," Nanako said to both of them, "I think it's cute."

Rise smiled at Souji; it was about the fact that he was keeping up this faux-relationship… even around his own family.

Souji looked at Nanako and asked, "Do you know if your dad is coming home today?"

"Umm… I think he is," Nanako replied, "He said he was coming home later tonight."

_I guess I am not getting out of introducing Rise to Dojima._

Nanako suddenly stood up from her sitting position at the table and asked Rise, "Uhh… Can I go get something for you to sign?"

Rise looked to Souji and then back at Nanako, "Sure!"

As Nanako ran upstairs to find something for Rise to sign, Souji had to talk to her. It was about Rise's sharp change in personality. Souji looked into her brown-ish eyes and asked, "Rise-chan, why are you so cheerful around little kids?"

Rise's smile was not quite as vibrant as before when Nanako left, but her answer was cheerful, "I love little kids. I'm just more comfortable around them because they are so nice and friendly." Her smile vanished and her cheery tone died, "There's another reason… but please… wait till later."

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

Souji sighed, "I guess if you really want to come over for cake after your sweet time with Chie…"

Yosuke had a large smile on his face. The two of them had pretty much abandoned their handing out flyer duties as he said, "Sweet…"

Souji turned back and handed a flyer to a random passerby with long curly hair; she promptly threw it in the trash. He only had a few more flyers. It did not matter what time it was… when he was out of flyers; Souji was finished with this work.

The 2-2 student with silver hair looked to Yosuke and said, "How many flyers do you have left?"

"A couple…," Yosuke responded. He added, "Man… there are so few people around this place right now."

"Well… it is pretty cold… who's wants to be out here when it's getting late when they can come in through a different entrance?" Souji explained, also noticing the lack of traffic through the outdoor grill area. "I just want to go shopping myself."

"Yeah… I need to buy a mini-cake myself," Yosuke nodded.

"Can I use your employee discount?" Souji asked.

"Hey!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Are you trying to take advantage of me working here?"

"I'm the one helping you out right now," Souji retorted, "For free… apparently."

"Alright, alright…," Yosuke relented, both shrugging and throwing his hands in the air. He also threw the rest of the flyers into the nearest trash can. He seemed as cold and frustrated with the whole ordeal as Souji was. He said, "Let's hurry up and get what we need before my dad finds out we ditched our job early."

_Ha! Yosuke is as bad as those girls who always try and get off work._

Souji threw his last couple of flyers away as well and watched Yosuke turn away from the grill area with the wooden and wire tables. He followed Yosuke towards the Electronics Department and towards the warmth of the inside of the main store… and the indoor heating.

The Grocery Department was well-lit, well-organized, and thankfully for Souji; it was very warm inside. There were over twenty aisles in this department and after dumping the apron, Santa apparel, and grabbing his jacket; Souji quickly hurried over to the back where the dairy products where being sold. Souji needed to buy a copious amount of eggs and butter before he headed over to buy goods like flour, baking soda, and vanilla extract. That did not even cover the chocolate frosting Souji needed. He wanted to make a double layer chocolate cake with her, so he needed a lot of the stuff. He was not even sure if he had a whisk at the Dojima Residence.

_Yosuke disappeared as soon as I dropped off the gear, so… I guess I am not getting his discount. Well, I guess he doesn't get any cake tomorrow._

Junes's prices were cheap compared to the Mom and Pop stores that used to litter the Shopping District, but Souji's wallet was still pretty light after his purchases. It was not the lightest it had ever been, considering it was not the largest purchase he had ever made, but it still wiped out all of the money he had made through translating the past month.

Souji had two bags in his hands as he started his way back to the Residential District, and the Dojima Residence. Souji ended up waiting ten long freezing minutes for the red bus at the Southern Shopping District by the Moel Gas Station to take him back there. As he stared out of the bus windows, he watched the snow flurries falling among the city. It was not as if there was anything he had to do right away when he reached the Dojima Residence, but… the bus was cold.

As Souji slid open the door to one of the many small two-story homes in the Residential District, he called out, "Hello… I'm home…"

His greeting was met by a small girl wearing a thick pink and white dress who responded, "Big bro! Welcome back…"

"Little sis…," Souji stepped through the entryway to meet his younger cousin, Nanako, a brunette with her hair tied in two small pigtails. She was the epitome of adorable in Souji's eyes, but there was a great disconnect between the cousins until Rise came into their lives.

Nanako's adoration of Rise and Souji's chance meeting with her brought the relatives closer far more than any other conversation could. Nanako was the one who coerced him into thinking about his feelings even after Rise left to return to her modeling career. It was her who picked out Rise's birthday present; it was a present way over Souji's budget, at that. Rise was someone who adored Nanako.

Nanako noticed the two bags in Souji's hands and she asked, "You went to Junes?"

Souji could not help but to smile a little as he answered, "I was with my friend Yosuke, helping him out with something. After that, I had to get supplies for making the cake tomorrow."

Nanako's smile widened as she remembered that they were making a cake tomorrow. She said to Souji, "We're making a cake tomorrow, right, Big bro?"

Souji nodded, "A big… chocolate cake…"

"Yay!" Nanako looked cheerful. Her expression changed as she asked, "Will the cake be done before I leave for Maki's house?"

Souji raised his right arm slightly, like he would if he was to raise his right hand towards his mouth as he began to think about how long the cake would take to make and when they should start baking. He finally answered, "I don't think it'll be done baking, at least before you leave."

_I have to frost it and then put it in again, too._

Souji saw that Nanako looked slightly disappointed, so he said, "We're not eating it until the day after we make it, anyways. As long as you help me make the cake… unless you want to just sit there, watching it bake."

Nanako nodded, "I understand. I'm just excited about making it with my Big bro…"

Souji smiled, "Me too… making it with my Little sis…"

It took a few seconds to get past Nanako after their conversation to put away the items that needed to be refrigerated for tomorrow. As he put away the sticks of butter and the eggs, he looked past some moldy pudding from who knows when. After putting away the cold items and placing the others in the cupboards, Souji walked around the dinner table and towards the couch. Nanako's promise to heat up some processed dinners was in a sense… promising, only for the fact that he was still cold. He had not even taken off his jacket since he entered the residence. Souji just wanted some nice hot food to warm him up.

Souji headed upstairs after a lackluster, but warm meal. The warm part… that's what was important to Souji as he sat down on his familiar blue couch and opened a familiar book on a depressed and pathetic teacher. It was not a boring book by any means, but a full stomach and being out of the cold in general made Souji sleepy. Souji found that he was dozing off until he shook his head and pushed himself off the couch and around the table where he translated till he was able to turn on the TV.

Souji wanted to see if it was going to continue to snow through the next two days. It was the reason he turned on the TV. However, his attempt to find out if it would be a White Christmas was interrupted by commercials. Souji was inundated with ads about Junes and Konishi Liquors. The only thing missing from the commercials was Nanako singing after the Junes jingle.

Souji's eyebrows raised as a third commercial came on the television. A sexy young red-head was in a hot springs with her hair down wearing a sleek two-piece swimsuit was someone Souji recognized.

_Rise-chan…_

The truly amazing part was when he himself jumped out of the water and wrapped his arm around the young girl's bare torso.

_I remember that. It was… unexpected._

* * *

><p><strong>Early Summer<strong>

The red light flashed and the right side of Souji's mouth curved up slightly. He was extremely startled when Rise burst out of the water to Souji's left, holding a can of that disastrous Queloric Magic in her left hand.

_Holy shit…_

Souji could hear the can being opened as she took a drink of the diet whatever it was. The water was dripping off the can as she was taking a swig of it. The look of a sopping wet Rise in a small-ish bikini must be intoxicating… that's exactly what the agency must have been aiming for.

Rise had moved the can away from her mouth and started talking to the camera, "Even an idol has to keep a trim figure… especially if she wants to stay on top. I drink Quelorie Magic to slim down and be able to eat what I want."

Rise's right arm went around his shoulder blades as she placed her head as close as possible on his left shoulder, which surprised him for a moment. Even though Souji was surprised, he almost instinctively put his left arm around Rise's soft, bare waist. It made Rise's smile grow.

Rise continued her dialogue with that showbiz smile, but her eyes were closed, "How do you think I'm able to be with guys like him?"

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

Remembering what had happened back in the summer; Souji had reluctantly accepted Yukiko's invitation to go to the Amagi Inn for a night, though his hesitation was lifted somewhat by Nanako's willingness to go along. Dinner was awkward with Chie and Yosuke fighting the whole time, not to mention that there was a sewing-loving gang-crushing teen with shock blond hair named Kanji who scared the hell out of everyone sitting at the table. Souji had nearly died when Kanji rushed off to the hot springs while the girls' were inside. Yosuke and Souji tried to save him, keep him getting killed by Yukiko and Chie, while Souji also wanted to keep Nanako safe. However, Souji ended up being the one hit in the head by a rogue bucket, not Kanji.

It was after Yosuke and Kanji fell asleep and he had dozed off that he was visited by Rise Kujikawa in the late evening. She had 'broke up' with him and returned to her idol career, but she returned to ask him; it was more like force him to shoot a commercial for Quelorie Magic with her. It ended up being a commercial he had no regrets about, once he found out that they were not having her shoot the commercial naked.

It was that date, Souji realized, that he had to stop running away from the fact that he cared very deeply for the girl he had 'pretended' to go out with. So much so, that he regretted ever letting Rise leave, even though Souji knew she needed to.

After the commercial, Souji did not bother waiting to see if the news would tell him if it would snow tomorrow. Instead, Souji just turned off the TV and left his room so he could wash up for bed. He was slightly distressed as he laid down for bed, slightly earlier than usual. It was because of the commercial that he felt uneasy. He did not need to be reminded of Rise right now, with Yosuke mentioning her and all.

His dreams were filled of the dark red-haired girl with twin pigtails. Souji's blame was squarely on the commercial that had shown up right before he had decided to go to bed. He was taunted by it.

Souji woke up to Nanako's call at what appeared to be mid-morning. She had given him a customary exclamation from downstairs, telling him that breakfast was ready. Hearing that, Souji dragged himself out of bed and dressed himself in a new pair of black dress pants and a new white long-sleeved button-up shirt with the collar flared up. He was going to put on a black over shirt, but he did not because he was staying inside for what he hoped for maybe most of the day. He blinked a few times as he washed his face. He proceeded downstairs where his younger cousin had set out sunnyside-up eggs and toast; it was her specialty. There was an empty plate next to his.

_Nanako's dad must have come home after I went to bed and he's already left._

Dojima and the rest of his family shared a somewhat tenuous relationship at times. Dojima, Nanako's father, was a detective for Inaba's police department. His work made him disappear for long periods of time. The relationship with his daughter was also strained because he was a single father because his wife died when Nanako was only a toddler. Souji's arrival changed their relationship, saving Dojima from having to find his daughter in the middle of the Samegawa Floodplains and deal with awkward conversations.

Souji sat down as Nanako turned around with her own plate of eggs and toast. He smiled and said, "Thanks for making breakfast…"

"Your welcome," Nanako replied.

Souji helped with the dishes after he finished breakfast and Nanako was the one thanking her cousin. However, Souji soon remembered how boring it was to sit around the house, doing nothing. The last time he did nothing during the day, he watched a JFL match. They were in winter training right now, though. He experienced what Nanako went through almost everyday once before; he just needed to survive long enough to make it until it was time to make the cake with her.

He ended up laying his head down against the end of one of the dark blue couches in the living room while Nanako watched the news. It was a good thing too, because Rise-related commercials appeared while Souji closed his eyes and attempted to doze off.

_Quit torturing me!_

Souji did his best to fall asleep, but all he heard was Rise's infectious… overly cheerful voice that was displayed in many of her commercials. He could even tell which ones were from before he met her and which ones were from after they had parted. The commercials that were made after Rise took up her career again; her tone was less forced and she seemed more natural in the way she charmed you into buying a product.

Souji could not bear listening to a girl who told him she was going to return today over and over, but it was highly unlikely she was going to show up at his door. It would be beyond his wildest imaginings if Rise came, considering that she had to be insanely busy. He thought that there was some important screening or something Rise had to be at tonight.

Souji opened his eyes after what seemed like the fifth Quelorie Magic commercial finished and said to his cousin who was sitting under the warmth of the kotatsu, "I'm going upstairs. I need to… clear my head."

"Are you okay, Big bro?" Nanako's face was filled with concern, "Do you want to go outside for a bit?"

Souji shook his head, "I'll be okay…" He stood up after he pushed himself off the couch, "Thanks… I appreciate you worrying about me."

Souji headed back upstairs hours before he expected to. He planned to do a little translating before starting the cake with Nanako as he opened the door to his room, maneuvering around the small coffee table to his desk. He pulled out his translation dictionary, a pencil, and a stack of papers that needed to be translated and turned back to the coffee table. He sat down and looked at his work, translating sentences he only somewhat understood. He soon held his right hand to his forehead

_At least I'm not translating into Greek._

It was terrifyingly difficult for Souji to try and translate everything in a short period of time. He was not planning on translating today, and now he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount he had taken on out of sheer frustration from seeing Rise on TV repeatedly.

Souji would not want to admit something so foolish, but the girl he did not believe would appear tonight; he wanted her to come. It was why he hated the torment of having to see her so close yet so far away on this day. He left his translation materials on the desk, just about slamming the book together in irritation, though he sighed calmly before he headed downstairs at a slow gait. The sun had already started to set, so he wanted to start the cake before Nanako left for her friend's house. Her father would be home tomorrow, no matter what.

_I'll make sure of it._

As Souji reached the bottom steps, Nanako was in the living room and greeted him again, "Are you feeling better, Big bro?"

_She's always worried about me._

"I guess I'm feeling alright," Souji said, lying about how he felt a bit.

Nanako frowned, seeing through his lie, "If that's what you say." She shook her head, "Well… do you want to start making the cake, then?"

Souji nodded, but only slightly. He said, "Let's get started."

"Okay…," Nanako smiled slightly.

Souji moved from the bottom of the stairs to the kitchen area to take the non-refrigerated food and refrigerated food out of the cupboards and fridge respectively. He took out the vanilla extract, chocolate frosting, the eggs, and butter. After Souji grabbed the baking soda and such, he proceeded to take out the necessary bowls, pans, and spray for the chocolate layer cake. He also needed to take out utensils like a whisk and a spatula. He laid out everything in a nice neat line and said to his cousin, "Well… everything is set out. I'm just going to wash my hands and I can start making this thing."

Nanako nodded, "Me too…"

Souji and Nanako almost simultaneously washed their hands with the soap next to the sink. They dried their hands and stepped back slightly from the sink. Souji was prepared to open the egg carton to crack the first couple of eggs. Before he could place eggs into the main bowl, Nanako asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"You can put the butter in…," Souji said.

Nanako had unwrapped the butter and was about to throw it into the bowl when the doorbell rang. Souji and Nanako looked at each other as Souji put the egg he was about to crack back in the carton. He said to her, "I'll go answer the door."

Souji turned away from the kitchen and walked to the door, where the doorbell had been rung for the second time. He muttered, "Wait just a moment, will ya?"

Souji passed through the entryway and to the door. As he opened it; he was thankful he was not holding the eggs because he would have dropped them. His mouth still dropped as he gazed upon the figure that had appeared in front of him. It was a female… a young teenager in a long navy blue skirt and blouse with a small pink backpack on her back. Her hair was a dark red; it had been curled, still reaching her shoulders. There was no mistaking that soft face and the small smile that was present when Souji opened the door.

Souji was beyond lost for words. He could only mutter the girl's name, "Rise-chan…"

* * *

><p>Ahh… So this is Part of the Christmas Special I promised. I'll probably be sending it out during my super busy part of the year. That means… I probably finished it well beforehand and just now put it out. I hope you enjoy it… if you don't… sorry. Auf Wiedersehen.<p> 


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